Puerto Princesa, Palawan

When two or more travelers meet, "where are you from?" inevitably gets asked. I am from the Philippines. I used to spend most of my time in Manila. Some people I've met traveling are fairly young (under 30) and have not had the opportunity to travel to my country. They know of the country mostly from the internet and TV or from Filipino migrants to their country. A good number expressed interest in one day traveling to the Philippines. They often ask practical questions related to traveling here and while I have often tried to give helpful answers, I have also found myself wishing for a do-over.

One such do-over involves beaches in the Philippines.

I met a girl from Malaysia who we'll call Daria. Daria was travelling with her best friend when I wound up sharing a table with them and a Caucasian couple (she was from South Africa and he was from the US) at a canteen in HCMC, Vietnam. Daria was apparently very interested in diving and beaches and asked me where the best divespots and beaches were in the Philippines. Given that I was dehydrated, sleep-deprived, and suffering from a pounding headache, I only managed to croak out "Palawan. El Nido… and maybe Coron."

A recent trip has made me partial to El Nido, which has been billed the last paradise. For me, it compares favourably with Boracay. When one talks of beaches in the Philippines, Boracay is I guess the gold standard. Practically everyone into beaches has heard of Bora and, of course, head there.  I'm not going to argue that it's not stunning or that its waters aren't perfect or that its sand is not all it's cracked up to be. Bora's reputation as a great beach is well-deserved. I just happen to be shipping a different place.

When you go to plan your trip to El Nido, you'll likely fly into Puerto Princesa, Palawan's capital. You might as well make a day of it and visit the Underground River, a UNESCO Heritage site.  

The mouth of a cave that leads to the Puerto Princesa Underground River. 

Getting to the Underground River requires a drive about an hour long from the airport. Then, you queue up for boat rides to the island where the mouth of the river is located. It's a pleasant albeit noisy ride as the boats are powered by loud diesel engines. The water is very pretty and the rock formations are gorgeous. Once you get to the island, there's about a kilometre long walk. And if it's tourist season, there'll be a long wait to get on yet another set of boats which would take you into the underground river.

If you'll spend the night in Puerto Princesa, I recommend Greenspace near Rizal Avenue. Two restaurants always get pretty good reviews, KaLui and Badjao. You might also want to visit Baker's Hill. (I had written short reviews for the first three on TripAdvisor.)

Then make your way overland to El Nido. The roads are pretty rough. But I promise you, the trip will be worth it. (More about El Nido in another blog)